Despite the overall decline in crime incidents, which can be attributed to the strict lockdown measures that were put in place, there are still areas that bucked the trend the Eastern Cape.

This was revealed in the first quarter police crime statistics, which were unpacked by MEC of Safety and Security, Weziwe Tikana-Gxothiwe, today.

The DA welcomes the long overdue quarterly release of statistics, as this will play an important role in informing communities of the relevant crime patterns in their areas.

It is indeed shocking that while murder was down 32% overall, there was a sharp 17% increase in the murder of women. This highlights the extent to which Gender Based Violence is prevalent in our province.

Just this week a woman was gunned down in a police station in Mthatha. More needs to be done to curb this scourge against women and children.

Truck hijackings across the province have also increased by 20%, with the stats showing Nelson Mandela Bay as a national hotspot. No less than six police stations in Nelson Mandela Bay are on the top 30 police stations nationally for truck hijackings!

Motherwell police station also ranked 10th overall for Trio crimes, with a 34% increase from 53 to 71 cases.

Also concerning is the spike in burglaries of non-residential properties, up nine per cent, with East London police station recording the second highest number of cases for the quarter in the country!

This shows that criminals shifted their focus to business premises, which became soft targets during the lockdown, with most being unoccupied at the time.

The Northern Areas of Nelson Mandela Bay are still battling with violent crime, with Bethelsdorp Police station recording the highest number of attempted murder cases in the country, and the third highest murders reported.

We need a new partnership approach, to fighting crime, which includes SAPS the Department of Safety, businesses, security companies and municipalities as not one single stakeholder can do it alone.

The DA will continue to fight for a province that is safe and secure.

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